ABSTRACT
The quest for “good” urban form is an ongoing concern for urban designers. Through
these efforts, they have searched for concepts of “ideal space,” which can be
regarded as ideal in terms of form as well as in terms of satisfying human desires to
understand the various characteristics of the city. This chapter focuses on the role
of visual representation by graphical means for the purpose of investigating peoples’
perception of the urban realm, as well as its methods and roles in explaining urban
information. Furthermore, the chapter investigates the use of diagramming and map-
ping as a means of simplifying the complexity of urban flux (changes in urban form,
i.e. the development of parks, streetscape, new buildings, etc.), in essence to reveal
the complexity of the city. The role of information graphics is vital in somehow
staging the complexities of the city in a visually simulating manner. Key theorists of
the mid-to late twentieth century who have dealt with these issues include Kevin
Lynch, Richard Saul Wurman and Edward Tufte. They were key players in such pro-
fessions relating to urban design and urban mapping. The first part of the chapter
focuses on Lynch’s theory of urban form as well as the methods he used, such as
cognitive mapping, for proving the theory that he first presented in the 1960s. In
particular, Lynch used a specific communicative style to “expose” the “physical”
elements that affect our city – “the path,” “the edges,” “ the districts,” “the nodes”
and “the landmarks.”1 Lynch was a key individual in explaining through mapping and
diagramming what was really going on experientially in the city, not just what a
designer intellectually supposed. Lynch’s book, The Image of the City (1960), inaugu-
rated a new science of human perception and behavior in relation to the city, and
is still used in architecture and planning courses as a key resource. The second part
of the chapter examines the importance of visually communicating graphics in a
truthful and telling manner, with references to the well-known information architect
Richard Saul Wurman and to Edward Tufte, Yale University professor emeritus of
information graphics and statics. Wurman offers a cognitive organization of geo-
graphic information, using mapping strategies as a means to understand urban
information. In 1984, he established the famous TED conferences that brought
together creative thinkers in the fields of technology information and design. Experts
in the field of mapping visualization, including Hans Rosling (who became a regular
at TED after 2003) and Stephan Van Dam, presented their research work at these
conferences. Finally, the chapter considers Tufte’s work and his lifetime goal of
visualizing information. For Tufte, the act of arranging information ultimately becomes
an act of insight.2 His books on information graphics capture a wide range of audi-
ences from the architect to individuals in data and information management. We will
look at the recent and current work involving methods of drawing and mapping in
order to solve or understand urban information.
